TechPhonesHMD Skyline review: repairability and retro looksWith throwback looks, HMD’s mid-range phone has plenty of appeal – but plenty to consider, tooWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: Future)T3 VerdictThe HMD Skyline is an interesting mid-range phone that pushes repairability as a unique factor. It’s a good performer with an interesting design in this affordable price bracket – but the camera doesn’t quite hit the mark and limited software support hampers its long-term goals.Reasons to buy++ Interesting design+User repairable+Action button+Qi2 chargingReasons to avoid-Fingerprint sensor is irritating-Zoom lens is limitedWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
TechPhonesHMD Skyline review: repairability and retro looksWith throwback looks, HMD’s mid-range phone has plenty of appeal – but plenty to consider, tooWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: Future)T3 VerdictThe HMD Skyline is an interesting mid-range phone that pushes repairability as a unique factor. It’s a good performer with an interesting design in this affordable price bracket – but the camera doesn’t quite hit the mark and limited software support hampers its long-term goals.Reasons to buy++ Interesting design+User repairable+Action button+Qi2 chargingReasons to avoid-Fingerprint sensor is irritating-Zoom lens is limitedWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
With throwback looks, HMD’s mid-range phone has plenty of appeal – but plenty to consider, too
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Future)T3 VerdictThe HMD Skyline is an interesting mid-range phone that pushes repairability as a unique factor. It’s a good performer with an interesting design in this affordable price bracket – but the camera doesn’t quite hit the mark and limited software support hampers its long-term goals.Reasons to buy++ Interesting design+User repairable+Action button+Qi2 chargingReasons to avoid-Fingerprint sensor is irritating-Zoom lens is limited
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
T3 VerdictThe HMD Skyline is an interesting mid-range phone that pushes repairability as a unique factor. It’s a good performer with an interesting design in this affordable price bracket – but the camera doesn’t quite hit the mark and limited software support hampers its long-term goals.Reasons to buy++ Interesting design+User repairable+Action button+Qi2 chargingReasons to avoid-Fingerprint sensor is irritating-Zoom lens is limited
T3 VerdictThe HMD Skyline is an interesting mid-range phone that pushes repairability as a unique factor. It’s a good performer with an interesting design in this affordable price bracket – but the camera doesn’t quite hit the mark and limited software support hampers its long-term goals.
T3 Verdict
The HMD Skyline is an interesting mid-range phone that pushes repairability as a unique factor. It’s a good performer with an interesting design in this affordable price bracket – but the camera doesn’t quite hit the mark and limited software support hampers its long-term goals.
Reasons to buy++ Interesting design+User repairable+Action button+Qi2 chargingReasons to avoid-Fingerprint sensor is irritating-Zoom lens is limited
Reasons to buy++ Interesting design+User repairable+Action button+Qi2 charging
- Interesting design
User repairable
Action button
Qi2 charging
Reasons to avoid-Fingerprint sensor is irritating-Zoom lens is limited
Fingerprint sensor is irritating
Zoom lens is limited
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
HMD is on a mission to establish itself as a new mobile phone brand. For those who don’t know, HMD was behind the NokiaAndroiddevices that we’ve seen over the past decade, having acquired the licence to that iconic phone brand.
But that licence is coming to an end. So what comes next? A run of devices that are HMD branded, and the emergence of a “new” phone brand. That means that we’re not yet looking at flagship devices, instead the company wants to bring innovation, sustainability and value for money, with afocus on the mid range.
That’s exactly where the HMD Skyline lands, as a mid-range device, user-repairable and at a fairly affordable price. What the Skyline is better known for, however, is the retro design that brings back memories of Lumia devices of old. Does its retro charm and future-facing responsible stance pay off?
HMD Skyline: Pricing & Availability
Today’s best HMD Skyline deals$499.99$349.99ViewWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best HMD Skyline deals$499.99$349.99ViewWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best HMD Skyline deals
$499.99$349.99View
$499.99$349.99View
$499.99$349.99View
$499.99$349.99View
$499.99$349.99
$349.99
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The HMD Skyline wasannouncedin July 2024 and isnow on sale. It starts at £400 / $500 for the 8/256GB model, with the 12/256GB model coming in at £500 or AU$899. Not all versions of the phone are available in all regions.
The price sees it as a competitor of theGoogle Pixel 8aor theMotorola Edge 50 Neo, so it has some serious competition.
HMD Skyline review: What’s new?
Just about everything is new here. HMD is only just starting its journey into smartphones, so there really is no previous device that the Skyline follows.
This is a more serious crack at a mid-range smartphone than theHMD Pulse, again looking for something unique and not just being ‘another Android phone’.
HMD Skyline review: Design & Display
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
The design will be the first thing that hits you went it comes to the HMD Skyline. It comes in Blue Topaz, Neon Pink and Twisted Black colours – the Topaz and Pink (pictured here) bringing real vibrancy to proceedings.
But it’s the shape of the body that you’re likely to enjoy, especially if you remember those Nokia Lumia phones through the 2010s. There are squared corners, with the front and rear set into the frame, curved sides and flattened ends. The result is that this phone isn’t as compact as some, but it looks unique.
That imparts the sense that someone designed this phone, rather than just plopped it off a production line looking like every other device out there. It’s actually a nice phone to hold – it feels solid – even if the 8.9mm is fairly hefty, along with the 209.5g weight.
The frame is recycled aluminium, while the rear is tempered glass – and I love the matte finish to it. The front gets Gorilla Glass 3 – not the highest level of Corning’s strengthened glass – but it’s befitting of the price point. The entire package gets anIP54 rating, so it’s splash proof rather than submersible.
Some of this design is in place to lend itself to the repairability that this phone offers. You’ll be able to replace the back, the display, battery or the charging port on this phone yourself, withinstructions and parts from iFixit. The aim is to reduce the number of phones that end up in landfill because they get damaged, but with only 3-years of updates for this device, the software promise doesn’t really match the longevity proposition that repairability offers.
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
The display is flat with a fairly wide bezel around the edges. It has a 6.55-inch diagonal measure, with 2400 x 1080 resolution. It’s an OLED display, so offers great vibrancy and colours and interestingly it offers a 144Hz fast refresh rate.
If you want that fastest refresh then you have to select it manually: you can also choose 60 or 120Hz, but there’s an auto option that will give you up to 120Hz based on what you’re doing. Brightness is rated at 1000 nits and that’s a little behind the curve now.
Ultimately, that means that some content – like your photos – don’t have the pop that they do on other devices. It’s not just flagship phones offering higher brightness these days either – even theMotorola Edge 50 Neohas 3000 nits. Still, there’s ample brightness when it comes to using the phone and even though it lacks those higher peaks, it’s still visible in all but the brightest sunshine.
The HMD Skyline doesn’t have an in-display fingerprint sensor, instead using a sensor in the power button. I found this to be fast enough to unlock, but it gives haptic feedback whenever you touch the button and it doesn’t read your finger properly. The result is that when you’re walking around gripping the phone, it vibrates constantly whenever you brush the button with your palm. You can’t turn this off – the only way to get rid of it is to turn off haptics at a system level, which means you don’t get them anywhere.
HMD has also equipped the Skyline with an action button – yes,just like the iPhone. This can be programmed for a double-press or long-press and can be used to launch various apps or features. It can be used to turn on the torch, give instant access toGoogleWallet, open ChatGPT conversations, or call an Uber. It’s actually really handy.
HMD Skyline review: Performance & Battery
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
Powering the HMD Skyline is the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, with 8 or 12GB RAM and 128 or 256GB storage – but there’s a microSD card slot if you wish to further expand that. Overall that spec marks the Skyline out as a mid-range device, as that Snapdragon processor sits below flagship level.
But the day-to-day experience that this hardware offers is smooth. In daily tasks like browsing your social media or working through your Gmail, it really makes little difference to higher-powered hardware. Where you’ll notice the difference is in things like gaming, where hardcore games will increase the demands on the phone, leading to warming and consuming plenty of battery life along the way.
Theres a 4600mAh battery in the HMD Skyline – which isn’t huge given the size of this phone. It supports 33W wired charging and it’s also Qi2 certified for wireless charging up to 15W, so this phone should be primed to work with Qi2 accessories (designed to be faster and more efficient). The battery life is good and you won’t struggle to make it through the day with this phone.
The HMD Skyline launches on Android 14 and there are 3 years slated for support. That’s not hugely long compared to the likes of Google andSamsung, which now set the standard with 7 years of updates. The reality is that once you hit 3 years, your phone won’t be getting new features or security updates – and that sort of runs counter to the green ambitions that HMD talks about.
If this phone had longer support, the repairability or the ability to replace the battery might make more sense (smartphone batteries have a limited lifespan, often noticeably degraded after 3 years). As it is, should you try to run this phone for as long as possible, you might find it’s the software that holds you back.
HMD Skyline review: Cameras
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
There’s also inconsistency in the colours you get between the ultrawide and the main camera, so you might need to do a little correction if you want consistency between photos shot with different lenses.
Image1of110.5x ultrawide(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)1x main camera(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)2x optical zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)3x main camera digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)4x main camera digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
Image1of110.5x ultrawide(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)1x main camera(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)2x optical zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)3x main camera digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)4x main camera digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
Image1of11
0.5x ultrawide(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)1x main camera(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)2x optical zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)3x main camera digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)4x main camera digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
0.5x ultrawide(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)1x main camera(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)2x optical zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)3x main camera digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)4x main camera digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
0.5x ultrawide(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
0.5x ultrawide(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
0.5x ultrawide(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
0.5x ultrawide(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
0.5x ultrawide(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
1x main camera(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
1x main camera(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
1x main camera(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
1x main camera(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
1x main camera(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
2x optical zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
2x optical zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
2x optical zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
2x optical zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
2x optical zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
3x main camera digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
3x main camera digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
3x main camera digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
3x main camera digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
3x main camera digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
4x main camera digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
4x main camera digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
4x main camera digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
4x main camera digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
4x main camera digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
Otherwise, the camera is pretty good. It takes decent shots in most conditions, as long as you’re working with the main camera at 1x or the telephoto at 2x. It’s no expert in the dark and that means it can’t touch the performance that you get fromthe Pixel 8a– which is a direct rival.
There are some interesting photo options in the camera app, with a focus peaking option really useful for telling you what’s actually in focus. But I found the Beauty shortcut in the viewfinder irritating because the slightest touch – for example when tapping the zoom options – would open up the beauty slider, which then requires a back swipe to get away from.
HMD Skyline review: Verdict
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
Also consider
Motorola is the closest other brand when it comes to clean Android software and the Edge 50 Neo is smaller, but superior. If you’re looking for a phone of comparable size to the HMD Skyline, then the Moto Edge 50 Pro is worth a look, as recent discounts means it’s likely to be close in price.
Today’s best Google Pixel 8a, Motorola Edge 50 Neo and Motorola Edge 50 Pro dealsGoogle Pixel 8a$579ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Google Pixel 8a, Motorola Edge 50 Neo and Motorola Edge 50 Pro dealsGoogle Pixel 8a$579ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Google Pixel 8a, Motorola Edge 50 Neo and Motorola Edge 50 Pro dealsGoogle Pixel 8a$579ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Google Pixel 8a, Motorola Edge 50 Neo and Motorola Edge 50 Pro deals
Google Pixel 8a$579ViewSee all prices
Google Pixel 8a$579ViewSee all prices
Google Pixel 8a$579ViewSee all prices
Google Pixel 8a
Google Pixel 8a
$579View
$579
$579
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